


Good Boy

by PrinceSnoozy



Category: Persona 3
Genre: A boy and his dog, Canonical Character Death, Death, Gen, Implied/Referenced Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-13
Updated: 2016-05-13
Packaged: 2018-06-08 04:14:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,090
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6838642
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrinceSnoozy/pseuds/PrinceSnoozy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Just a short fic of Ken and Koromaru going through some events of the game.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Good Boy

**Author's Note:**

> I’m using the characterization from the movie/musical rather than the game because I really don’t like how flat Ken’s character was when you first meet him, but the dates and events are a little more true to the game, except one.

**_June 20, 2009_ **

“Arf, arf!”

The tawny-haired boy looked up just as he approached Naganaki Shrine to see a familiar white dog run up to him with an eager trot. He smiled and knelt down, scratching behind the dog’s ears while balancing a bowl of takoyaki.

“Hey there, Koromaru, you hungry?” he asked, a sad smile on his face.

“Arf arf!” Koromaru ran around the boy in a few circles, tail wagging in excitement.

“Okay, okay,” he laughed, almost stumbling as he stood back up. “At least let me sit down first.”

After sitting down on the steps to the shrine, he put the container of takoyaki on the ground for Koromaru to eat. The dog politely, but hurriedly, began eating at the snack, causing the boy to smile sadly again.

“Why are you still here, Koromaru?” he asked quietly. “The priest isn’t here anymore…. can you not let go, either?”

The dog didn’t answer, of course, but looked up at him for a moment, tilting his head. Then, he went back to eating, and the boy looked up at the setting sun, dreading having to go back to the empty dorm.

* * *

**_September 3, 2009_ **

“Hello…”

The boy’s voice echoed in the empty lounge; well, empty except for a high school student sitting on the couch behind a laptop and Koromaru.

“Oh, Ken-kun!” the girl exclaimed, surprised. “S-Sorry, you scared me a bit, it’s just been so quiet…”

“It’s alright, Fuuka-san,” Ken replied, glancing around the room. “Is Sanada-san here?”

Koromaru’s ears perked up and, tail wagging, he stood and made his way over to Ken’s feet, where Ken obliged his request for a headscratching.

“Oh, actually, he called me earlier,” Fuuka replied, an apology coating her voice. “He said there was something he had to do today, so he’d be back late today. I think he was taking Minato-kun with him, too.”

“Oh…”

Koromaru let out a whine, his red eyes staring into Ken’s pleadingly. Ken smiled lightly, patting Koro’s head once more, then looked up at Fuuka.

“Is it alright if I take Koromaru for an early walk today? I feel bad for him being cooped up on such a nice day.”

“Yes, but be sure to be back before it gets too late. I don’t want to imagine what Mitsuru-senpai would do if something happened…”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be careful.”

The two left the lounge and made their way to their usual spot: the shrine. Koromaru ran around the grounds, prancing around and excited, while Ken sat by the sandbox and watched. A gust of wind ruffled his hair a little, causing him to subconsciously look up at the sky. He stared at the clouds as they slowly moved, the sight almost nostalgic, shapes he couldn’t identify reminding him of a simpler time, when he could still be a kid.

A whine interrupted his thoughts, and he looked down to see Koromaru doing that usual head-tilt. There was something more to it this time, but Ken couldn’t quite figure it out, not without that robot to translate. He sighed and stood up, dusting the sand off his shorts.

“Ready to go?”

“Arf!”

They walked the distance back to the lounge, arriving just as night began to fall. Ken opened the door and wandered inside, closing the door quietly just as Koromaru darted in ahead of him, tail wagging as usual. He stopped behind the couch, however, his head tilted and gaze toward something on the other side of the room.

“Oh, Ken-kun, you’re back!” Fuuka greeted, jumping to her feet. “You’re just in time to meet our new member!”

“New member?” Ken repeated, feeling a piercing set of eyes staring at him from somewhere.

“Yeah,” Junpei replied, pointing toward the dining area. “He’s _really_ cool, too, I think you’ll like him~!”

“So since everyone’s here, now,” Mitsuru spoke up, walking around toward the middle of the lounge, in front of where Akihiko and another person where sitting. “It’s time for introductions.”

It was then that Ken noticed where the piercing gaze was coming from.

* * *

**_September 7, 2009_ **

Silence overtook the lounge, the school day taking the older students with it. Ken sat alone, however, coming back after pretending to go to school like everyone else. His stomach churned, making him so nauseous he couldn’t bear to go to class, not today.

_How could I not see it before?_

“Arf!”

A friendly bark followed by a whine broke him out of his stupor briefly. Koromaru sat by Ken’s feet, that head tilt giving Ken a strange pang of guilt.

“Oh, Koromaru… sorry, I’m fine.”

_Why am I apologizing?_

Koromaru whined again and tilted his head the other way, his tail still. Suddenly, a noise came from the second floor, something similar to footsteps, and both Ken and Koromaru stared expectantly at the stairs. No further sounds happened, and no one came down the steps.

Ken sighed, reaching out to pet Koromaru’s head.

* * *

**_October 6, 2009_ **

Night had fallen, but Ken made no movements to go back to the Iwatodai Dorm. He sat on the bench in Naganaki Shrine, watching Koromaru play, though he noticed his tail wasn’t as high as usual, and the dog kept stopping occasionally to look at him. The third time this happened, the boy looked away, unable to face even the gaze of a dog. The tears welled up in his eyes again and he quickly wiped them away with his hand, closing his eyes in the process.

When he reopened them, however, he was met with that familiar head tilt again. He sighed, a sigh that sounded a bit like a chuckle, a pained smile forming on his youthful face.

“I’m pretty pathetic, aren’t I?” he asked, not expecting an answer.

Koromaru whined, tilting his head to the other side, staring up at Ken with that same look he did when the boy lost his thoughts in the clouds. Ken’s eyes widened slightly, a seeing realization in his own thoughts.

“A-Are you trying to tell me you understand…. and that it’s going to be okay?”

“Arf! Arf!”

Koromaru spun in a quick circle, tail wagging, then sat down again. He bumped his nose against Ken’s hand as he reached out for the dog’s head. He smiled, less sadness to it this time.

“You’re right, there’s no use feeling sorry for ourselves. Let’s finish what we came to do.”

“Arf!”

Ken stood and started walking, Koromaru at his side, and they both made their way back to the dorm, and back to their lives.


End file.
